Wednesday, July 31, 2013

So the last day of July is upon us... wow! It has been one heckuva hot summer this July, which is odd because most of June for us in southern NY was cold and rainy. It's been quirky for sure, but I'm glad the weather is more seasonal now... I love taking my daughter out for walks in this weather!

Well, there are quite a lot of fantastic sweepstakes below so please take a few moments and enter - you never know if this will be your chance to win big! Good luck :)

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Wazoodle sells cloth diapers that are already made as well as cloth diaper making supplies, fabrics and notions!

Sign-up, offer your readers the chance to win and help me promote this awesome giveaway!
Prizes: 1 $50 Wazoodle Gift Card! & 10 winners to receive a free yard of fabric w/their next purchase!
Event Dates: August 7th through August 21st (Updated on 7/11)
Sign-ups will close on: August 5th

Open Worldwide

Bloggers

You will receive 2 Free links w/announcement post OR for a small fee w/o post.

There will be two additional link options for a small fee each.

Referral program!!

The blogger who refers the most sign-ups for this opp will be one of our co-hosts! Co-Host will receive 2 additional free links into the RC form as well as 2 follow pages! Refer as many bloggers as you know to this sign-up form and remind them to let me know Tia's Sweeps Go 'Round sent them! Why be a co-host? It helps boost your follow base as well as your page views!

Hello everyone!
I hope you all had a great last weekend of July! Can you believe how quickly the summer is passing us by? My beautiful daughter is 2 months old today - I seriously cannot believe it! She is already growing and changing so much. I know it's so cliche' but it really seems like if you don't stop to enjoy life once in a while, it really will pass you by! That's why these monthly pictures are extra special to me.

Already 2 months, and such a big girl with her favorite toy, "Mr. Corn"

Well, I thought it would be a great idea to share some of the great DIY (do it yourself) posts that I've come across on the web which have saved me loads of money, were easy to complete and were too ingenious not to share. I have tested all of these myself and can personally attest to their awesomeness :). Although I am listing them here, please click on the original DIY link for the original, detailed tutorial on each respective blog.

If you have ever used those Wallflower plug-ins from B&BW, you know that they smell great and are super convenient. Unfortunately, these air fresheners have VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in them, which have been documented to cause a plethora of health conditions from infertility to memory loss. But if you want to still have a nice smelling house without all of the yucky chemicals, have no fear! Holy Crickey has created a tutorial to easily refill your wallflower plug-in with essential oils.

I did this a couple months ago with some orange EO and within a couple minutes of plugging it into an outlet in my kitchen, the room smelled like a basket full of delicious oranges! It lasted a while too. I have to be honest... when I would buy the wallflower refills from B&BW, I didn't always really smell anything coming out of them. I would have to unplug it from the wall and sniff it just to make sure it was working. Well... make no mistake about it - this method works like a charm!

Back in March (when my DIY kick went into full force - maybe it was an early form of nesting for me?), after tossing another empty bottle of dishwashing detergent in our recyclables container, I started getting really frustrated at how often we were buying the stuff and how much money it cost. Even more so, I was annoyed because it didn't really seem like it was getting the job done, considering we have hard water and the deposits kept building up on our plates and glassware.

Well, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I was to find Choosing Simplicity's DIY tutorial in how to make simple liquid dishwashing detergent. The ingredients are simple enough - Borax, Arm & Hammer Washing Soda [I found both very easily in the laundry detergent section of my local grocery store], Dr. Brenner's Pure Liquid Castille Soap in whatever fragrance you choose [interesting side note: the cheapest I've ever found this soap was actually at the Vitamin Shoppe, believe it or not. Much cheaper than any grocery store or health food store!] and water. I made this back in early March and I still have about 1/4 of it left (I put it in an old milk jug and it filled it up to the top - it's hard to get out if you don't cut the top off, though). This stuff works great - and although not formulated to take out hard water stains, I definitely notice significantly less hard water deposits on our dish and glassware.

Anyone who has pets, kids or even the occasional burping husband knows how handy Febreeze can be in making a somewhat offputting-smelling house fresh again in no time flat. One thing I really don't like about febreeze? The price. Although it works great, it always seems like a pricy purchase just to make the house smell good (even though that's an important task!)

Thanks to Fake-It Frugal, however, you can make your own fabric refresher with fabric softener, baking softener and water! I used my favorite fabric softener - Gain's Island Fresh - and it works like a charm. I quadrupled the recipe so I could have some extra for refills later. I swear by it!

At the same back in March when my most recent DIY kick was at its peak, I noticed that our red microfiber sectional couch, which we bought back in 2009 barely used from a nice couple on Craigslist, had started to look incredibly dingy. Everything that I had tried in the past to get stains out of the couch (e.g., spilled soda, cat hairballs), including expensive name-brand cleaners that claim the ability to get any stain out, had done a really poor job in making my couch look like new. So I was really at my wit's end at this point - I figured, 'Rubbing alcohol and good old-fashioned elbow grease? Why not?'

Looking back, I am SO happy that I gave this tutorial by Chris and Robin's Nest a chance because it is singlehandedly responsible for breathing new life back into our couch! The tutorial has some great visuals, but I figured I'd add a couple additional pointers from my experience. Firstly, don't be shy with using a lot of rubbing alcohol. If you have some nasty stains, that's what will get them out. Secondly, employ the individual in your household with the best arm strength to do the job of scrubbing the couch, because that 'elbow grease' I mentioned is what really activates the rubbing alcohol to work in removing the stain. Thirdly, OPEN THE WINDOWS!!! Seriously... this stuff stinks a lot and it's not good to breathe it in while it's evaporating. It was still relatively cold out when I did this, so my roommates at the time weren't too happy when I stunk up the house with this stuff.

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Well, I hope you enjoyed my post about my favorite cleaning DIY tutorials from around the web. Try them out - you won't be disappointed! Are there are any cleaning DIY tutorials that you swear by? Share them in the comments!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Hope everyone had a great week thus far. The heat wave finally broke and the temperatures are absolutely gorgeous right now! I am heavily considering taking Valentina on a long walk on the Hudson Valley Rail Trail point by our house. It's really perfect for it!

I just got done chatting with a girlfriend of mine who is almost a week overdue with her first baby, a baby boy who seems very content with being in the womb! It made me think of when I was super pregnant and wanting my baby out of my belly! My daughter was actually due May 26th but I didn't start going into labor until May 28th and after 22 drug-free hours of labor, I gave birth on May 29th! The week before my due date, however, was such a crazy whirlwind! I spent most of it looking into ways to naturally induce labor.

My last picture being pregnant (5/28). I had just been admitted to the hospital and was walking around to try to help progress it along. Even though it was only 2 months ago, it's really hard to remember being that big!

My mother's Dodge Durango takes bumps really hard, so I tried to take a ride in that car whenever I could the week before I was due. I had sciatica problems when I was pregnant though, (from a common but widely unknown condition called Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) so going over bumps too hard was often more pain then it was worth. Oh well!

I then tried to walk as much as I could. I look back fondly now at me walking around Shop Rite (a northeast grocery store chain) with my father trying my best to get "crampy"! My dad and I are coupon fanatics, and he had one in particular he got that needed manager approval. This took a while, and the cashier looked at me and asked if I was okay, since I was shuffling around a lot. I said to her, "I've been pretty crampy for the last 15 minutes and my due date is tomorrow so I'm not sure if I'm in labor or not!" Well, I didn't officially go into labor for 3 more days, but it did help push the transaction through a little quicker :).

Then I tried the old wives' tale of eating spicy food. I was a huge fan of spicy food before my pregnancy, but my tastes had become hyper sensitive to it throughout my pregnancy so I hadn't indulged in it too much. The Hubs and I went to a local Indian restaurant called Cinnamon Indian Bistro and enjoyed what was to be our last "official" date. I had Calamari that was to die for (it was cooked so tender with Indian spices, I still daydream about it!) and then I had Navarthan Korma for dinner. It's a vegetable sweet curry made with coconut milk and cashews, among other things. It's always been a favorite of mine in all of the indian restaurants I've eaten in. Our waitress, who also happened to be the co-owner of the place, told me that she had received many "thank you" notes from pregnant women who went into labor after eating their food! I ate here the Friday before I went into labor and labor began early Tuesday, so who knows! Maybe it did have something to do with it :)

Great - now I'm hungry!

Picture courtesy of cookingandme.com

At the advice of and under the guidance of my midwives, I began a regimen of 3 Evening Primrose Oil capsules daily and a small pitcher's worth of Red Raspberry Leaf tea a day. I started this a week before my actual due date, and from my Monday visit to my Friday visit that week, I had dilated from 1cm to 2cm and had progressed from ~25% effaced to ~50% effaced. I'm not sure if it had any effect, and there's no way to tell. But I have heard a lot of mamas use these techniques before too, so who knows!

Whether it was one of these methods or a combination of them all, I did end up going into labor naturally on my own. As I mentioned earlier, my 22 hour labor was entirely drug-free as well, but that's a post for another time :).

For now, I want to know - did you go into labor naturally? Did you try any of these methods to try to induce labor naturally or did you try something else I didn't mention? Let me know! I'll pass on your advice to my overdue friend :)

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Please Enjoy This Guest Post from Michele at the Mommy Blogger Directory, a working mom of three sharing stories and ideas!

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Traveling with the family is expensive. When you consider the cost of transportation, accommodations and attractions, it can be difficult to fit a vacation into the family budget. Staycations are becoming incredibly popular. Cheaper and often more enjoyable than traveling hundreds of miles away, staycations are a great way to bond with the family.

Look for local attractions that you’ve always wanted to visit but never taken the time to see. The local zoo or aquarium is the perfect choice for animal-loving families. Pack your own lunch in a cooler and the only things you’ll be paying for are gas and admission.

Do your kids love thrill rides? Drive to the nearest amusement park and spend the day riding roller coasters and bouncing through playlands. Bring along collapsible water bottles for each member of your family and fill up at water fountains.

If you have a family of foodies, spend time visiting local farmers’ markets and choosing items for dinner. Spend time in the kitchen making a fantastic meal together. Kids love to cook; challenge yours to make a salad with all of the colors of the rainbow.

You don’t have to travel to far away destinations to have a wonderful vacation with the family. Staycations are not only less expensive, but they afford families the opportunity to bond and enjoy one another’s company without usingthe credit cards. If you are looking for a fabulous idea for your next family vacation, look no further than right outside your front door.Check out Michele at the Mommy Blogger Directory at http://www.mommybloggerdirectory.com/blog/1

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

I hope everyone is having a great week thus far. The heat wave has finally snapped in southern NY, although it's still as humid as can be. I am happy that the temperature is reasonable enough to take Valentina out of the house. Being stuck in air conditioning all the time is not good for you!

Well, in the event that you are stuck in the a/c, why not enter some sweepstakes that are going on right now? I've won a set of 3 body washes from Kevin's Closet (courtesy of a giveaway posted on Peace Love Organic Mom and a set of bath toys from Nuby USA's Facebook page in the last week. I am hoping that I can pass on some of my luck to you and you can win big too!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Sorry for my lack of posting this past weekend. My husband was off and since we don't all get to hang out too much as a family, we spent a lot of time offline together. Hubs, Valentina and I went to my parents' house yesterday for a multi-birthing celebration for family birthdays that occurred in the last month (my Uncle was in from California, my mom is this Thursday, and my sister and her long time boyfriend were both born the same month, day and year. Crazy cool, right?!) On Saturday night, we went out to the mall so hubs could get his hair cut and I could do some shopping for my mom's upcoming birthday.

I decided to go shopping at Macy's because I have a Macy's card and like to take advantage of sales and coupons they have for cardmembers. The first time we took my daughter to the mall was actually to Macy's in mid-June when she was 3 weeks old, and she definitely did not have a fun time. She was all cozy in her Maxi-Cosi Mico car seat locked into our Quinny Buzz stroller (both items that I got as being an audience member of the Katie Couric Show's Baby Shower episode this past April!). Unfortunately, she started crying inconsolably because it was pretty stuffy in that store and once she starts crying, she gets pretty hot rather quickly. Poor little 10 lb baby girl feels like a portable heater after she has a good crying session! After this excursion, hubs and I were apprehensive about taking her back to the mall.

But I had a different idea this time around... I had purchased a Baby K'tan carrier in Olive Green for me and a Baby K'Tan carrier in Black for hubs on eBay back in April after I fell in love with the Moby Wrap but didn't like the idea of having to tie it up every single time I put it on. We tried the carriers on at home before going to the mall Saturday night. I tried it on first and snuggled Valentina into the carrier - she instantly loved it and started falling asleep! Once it was the hubs' turn and he put it on, Valentina started crying when I took her out of my carrier! But once she was on her daddy's chest, she instantly fell back asleep. Suddenly, I became so excited to go the mall. I hadn't been this happy to go there since I was in my teens! :)

We parked in front of Macy's, and hubs helped me put on the Baby K'Tan wrap. I'm sure I will soon get the hang of putting it on myself with practice, but since she really liked the "Hug" position, and it's a little difficult to untangle the shoulder straps on your own once your baby is snuggled in the inner loop, having a helper nearby is quite useful. (Note: If you are interested in seeing the different positions that you can hold a baby using a Baby K'Tan carrier, check out the instructions posted on their website here). It also comes with a sash to tie around the baby's bum/your waist area for extra support, which we utilized for this occasion.

Well, here was this big moment. The test to see if all this "babywearing hoopla" I had been hearing all of my friends talk about, and fellow bloggers write about, was really legit. Well.... I am here to testify that I am now a babywearing believer! I had the autonomy of having my hands free (although I still had one of my hands lightly on her back as I walked, I couldn't completely let go just yet!) and I didn't have to maneuver through aisles and clothing racks while shopping. She fell asleep pretty quickly with my motion and stayed asleep while I was in Macy's for a half hour, when I walked across the mall to Target to go with hubs to get a wrist brace for him, and when we walked back to our car. It was fantastic! The only thing you have to be prepared for? To stop pretty often because so many people love seeing an adorable sleeping baby held in "papoose" style... I mean seriously, there aren't many things cuter than that, right?

The great thing about this carrier is that it's simple cotton fabric - extremely breathable and 100% washable! I had a waffle on a stick with powdered sugar on it at the mall and got powdered sugar on a good portion of it (you will learn in this blog that I am quite clumsy with a lot of things, especially while eating!). I washed it and it looks fantastic!

I am extremely happy that "Operation Babywearing" was a success, and plan on wearing her extremely often when going out from now on (especially considering since I hold her so often at home and she loves sleeping at home on my chest).

Do you ever wear your baby? How do you feel about babywearing? What brand of baby carrier is your favorite and why? Tell me in the comments! :)

Thanks for reading!
~Tia

Edit at 8:38 PM EST - Boba Baby carriers happens to be running a daddy-specific giveaway on their Facebook page! Check it out - entry is easy. Winner will win a DaddyScrubs prize pack and their very own Boba Carrier! https://www.facebook.com/Boba/app_143103275748075

So if you're living in most of the U.S., you are probably feeling like a fried egg right about now! I hope everyone reading this has the air conditioner on full blast, or at least a lot of fans going so you don't overheat!

July's theme is Staying Cool in the Summer Heat! For this Thursday, I am going to post coupons, deals and (of course!!) sweeps related to staying cool in the horrible heat! Have fun entering these "cool" sweepstakes, making some fun no bake recipes, and having fun with your family!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Welcome to my first Wednesday Workup! This is my list of sweeps from around the web that I've come across that seem really great and worthy of entering! I have categorized them as well in regards to the type of entries they are. All of them are open for entry as of today, July 17, 2013.

Enter one or enter them all! Good luck! And please suggest any giveaways that you've come across on the web that you want me to add here in the comments section.

After I won 3 things in the last week (Kaspersky 3.0 Security Suite, Kenra hairspray from Cosmopolitan Magazine and a bag of NUBY USA gift toys), and my sister won 2 things as well (a cutting board and a maxi dress), I have been getting asked by my friends how I win so many sweepstakes and what I am entering.

Well, I have decided to create this blog to share what I've come across in one place so my friends, family and welcome visitors to this blog can enter them too and I can share some of my luck with the world :)

My name is Christina (aka Tia, a nickname my younger sister came up with when she couldn't say my name as a baby), and I am happily married to a wonderful man I've been with for almost 6 years (Married for 1!). I am the proud mother of an adorable 7 week old daughter named Valentina, who I will probably mention quite often and who inspires me to enter a lot of baby-inspired giveaways! I am also a 4th year doctoral student, studying public health and epidemiology, and I am an adjunct professor who teaches public health-related topics at two local area colleges.

I will not only be posting sweepstakes, although there will be plenty of those posts for sure! I will be posting my favorite recipes and DIY ideas I come across on the web as well. I will also even post some personal posts about challenges and successes about being a working mother as well!